Alexandria, Va. – The Islamic Relief family of organizations has launched a $24 million global appeal to provide urgent aid in Turkiye and Syria following the deadly earthquakes that has killed more than 2,300 people. Donations made through Islamic Relief USA would be used for relief efforts in Turkiye only.
Islamic Relief aid workers on the ground witnessed the horror first-hand, seeing people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings and children separated from their families in the chaos. Homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and other infrastructure have all been flattened by the two 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes – the worst to hit Turkiye in 20 years and the worst to affect Syria for over a century.
In northwest Syria, Islamic Relief will be providing urgent medical supplies to help hospitals and clinics that are overwhelmed by casualties, as well as blankets and tents for people who are now homeless in the middle of a freezing winter. In southeast Turkiye, the organization will provide cash vouchers to survivors so they can meet their immediate needs such as buying food.
Affected communities in northwest Syria are especially vulnerable as years of violence and humanitarian crises have destroyed vital infrastructure and left millions of people in extreme poverty.
Mohammed Hamza, head of Islamic Relief’s office in Idlib, northwest Syria, witnessed the destruction first-hand:
“It was 4 a.m. and I woke up to the house shaking from side to side. Everything was shaking, bricks were falling out. It felt like Judgement Day and everything would be completely destroyed. My wife was screaming and I went to my children but I didn’t know what we could do. We fled outside and saw thousands of people on the streets with just the clothes on their backs. People were shouting for their lost children – whole families were separated and lost.
“So many buildings were totally destroyed and I saw tens of people under the rubble, with crowds trying to pull them out. People are still out in the streets – they don’t have anything to go home to and we are all scared of aftershocks.
“Right now the Islamic Relief team here is distributing blankets, sheets and mattresses that we have in stock – but these will run out today and we need more as soon as possible. People urgently need
tents, food parcels and blankets. Hospitals are inundated with injured people so we’re providing them with medicine and other supplies.”
MEDIA CONTACT
Syed M. Hassan
media@irusa.org or
(571) 421-7032 (CELL)
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Islamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of gender, race, or religion, and works to empower individuals in their communities and give them a voice in the world. Its programs benefit millions of people each year in more than 40 countries around the world, including in the United States.
Islamic Relief USA meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a national charity monitoring group affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system. Islamic Relief USA is on the U.S. government’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity list, and it is also a signatory to the code of conduct of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.